Shrewd to the Last Drop

Just learned that Tom DeLay's going to resign. Well, the guy didn't get to where he was without being a tactician. I think he genuinely believes in his innocence, so I don't buy the argument that he's leaving the political arena to focus on keeping his ass out of jail. But even if he were, the way he managed to do this was brilliant, and amoral, just like the rest of his career.

He's going to change his address to Virginia, disqualifying him from seeking the Congressional seat. The governor will then call a special election, where the winner cannot simply get a plurality of the vote to win. There were going to be several independents on the ballot in the November matchup between DeLay and former Democratic Rep. Nick Lampson. That would have drained votes from DeLay (one of the independents was Steve Stockman, a former Republican Congressman) and lowered Lampson's treshold of votes needed to win. Now if he wins the initial special election but doesn't receive over 50%, Lampson would be forced into a runoff. Word is that the Republicans already have a candidate picked out, the former mayor of Sugar Land.

In other words, it'll be much easier to keep the seat through a special election. Of course there would be a rematch in November, but two races so close to one another rarely have different results. I believe DeLay knew exactly what he was doing. Another top aide of his just pleaded guilty in the Abramoff case, and surely the noose was tightening. But foremost on DeLay's mind was keeping a Republican majority. He resigned himself to the fact that TX-22 had a better chance staying red without him. So he wins the primary to keep the other challengers off his back, then quits the seat, forcing a special election with a handpicked successor. Then he bolts for the lobbying sector, whose ties he's fostered for 20 years, and he goes on to make more money than God while helping to maintain that Republican majority.

Sounds like the perfect plan if it weren't for all of the indictments. But rich guys have a history of evading what appear to be impossible circumstances as they wind their way through the legal system. The guy's a complete bastard, but he knows how to play the game, I must admit. There oughta be a law against it. There probably is.

The only thing DeLay loses is the pride of being the Hammer in the US House. And to be honest, the Republican Leadership hasn't been the same since he stepped aside. But like any good snake, DeLay knew that he had to shed his skin, and start over. He wasn't ever going to be able to get his leadership position back. And there was no way he could live life as a backbencher. Now he'll get to be a million-dollar lobbyist who will help write the laws instead of just making sure they get passed. And none of that pesky Ethics Committee to deal with.

This guy is everything good and bad about the American dream rolled into one. The lowly exterminator turned powerful man, the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" guy, who learns every trick in the book to make the system work to his benefit. And even in disgrace, he gets things his way. Complete bastard, but shrewd to the last drop.